My friend wants to train for B2B 70k route and doesn't want to ride on the road. We have suggested the M7 and I understand that its about 40k, so 80k return

However we only know it from parking at Bunnings, which means the general slope is the wrong way, as ideally we want the uphill'ish for the way out and the downhill'ish for the way back + a coffee break.

So I'm thinking that it should be done the other way, which bring out the question, where does one park for the ride commencement and where is the coffee shop for the break?

Can't help with parking, but Good Fella at Bella Vista is probably the only genuinely good coffee you'll find in the barren wasteland that is the M7 corridor. Everything else is going to be below average chain store stuff that isn't worth getting off the bike for.

MellerYeller wrote:You could go up Old Windsor Road shared path as well - there are more options with the shopping complexes along the way.

M7 is a wasteland for coffee/shops etc in my experience. The Maccas coffee is only ambrosia if you've worked hard on the way down and in that sort of situation, anything tastes good.

I hadn't thought about the Old Windsor Road path. Where does it start and end, how far is it? Which direction would make it a little harder on the way out and there for a litter easier on the way back?

mikesbytes wrote:I hadn't thought about the Old Windsor Road path. Where does it start and end, how far is it? Which direction would make it a little harder on the way out and there for a litter easier on the way back?

When you get to the end of the M7 path if you turn left you can go all the way to Windsor on shared path or for most of the way you can ride on the road in a wide breakdown lane.

If you turn right you can ride to Parramatta pretty much on bike path all the way. And then head on to the Olympic Precinct at Homebush. There is a decent path along side of the river but it gets busy with families so it is not the place for hard riding.

Heading towards Windsor is the nicer riding option IMHO as there are less stops and starts. And you can call in to Rouse Hill shops for food and coffee. Heading all the way to Windsor and back will add around another 40km, maybe a bit more.

Carnes Hill shopping centre has good cafes and heaps of easy parking. It's then an easy ride along Cowpasture Road and Camden Valley Way shared paths to get to the bottom of the M7 and then you can go to the top and back again.The Strava route I've linked to is longer than the ride by 10 to 15kms as stupid Strava never actually lets you ride the full M7 path and gives you a daft detour towards the north. In reality of course you just stay on the path.

Another thought. Your friend's target distance is 70km. This is a 76km route I used to do when I used to only have a fold-up bike to ride.Starts at Bella Vista, loops through Fairfield and Parramatta, should be some decent coffee somewhere along the way. There is a short section in Parramatta where you will need to ride on the road or footpath, but otherwise it's all pretty much on bike paths.https://www.strava.com/routes/6566710

MellerYeller wrote:Another thought. Your friend's target distance is 70km. This is a 76km route I used to do when I used to only have a fold-up bike to ride.Starts at Bella Vista, loops through Fairfield and Parramatta, should be some decent coffee somewhere along the way. There is a short section in Parramatta where you will need to ride on the road or footpath, but otherwise it's all pretty much on bike paths.https://www.strava.com/routes/6566710

MellerYeller wrote:Another thought. Your friend's target distance is 70km. This is a 76km route I used to do when I used to only have a fold-up bike to ride.Starts at Bella Vista, loops through Fairfield and Parramatta, should be some decent coffee somewhere along the way. There is a short section in Parramatta where you will need to ride on the road or footpath, but otherwise it's all pretty much on bike paths.https://www.strava.com/routes/6566710

Thanks MellerYeller, how much of it is on road?

The following sections are on road.Guildford station (but speed humps there slows the traffic down completely) - around 200mComing out of the rail trail, you'll need to go on Boomerang Street and Wallace Street (v. quiet roads)From the M4 cycleway onto Pitt Street - you will need to go onto Pitt Street (300-400m), but the downhill section to Parramatta Park has a v. wide footpath.

It's not too bad a route, a few roads to cross - if your friend isn't confident, will need to unclip and walk the bike across, average speeds will be lower as there are a few more pedestrians on this route, but at least it's not as monotonous as the M7.

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